Best Fried Oysters (2002)

Aw, shucks. Long before other seafood restaurants realized that Denverites had the raw courage to slurp down oysters, McCormick's was offering a wide selection of the fresh suckers every day. Even fried, these oysters are pearls: tender, tasty flesh encased in a light cornmeal crust. If the kitchen isn't too busy -- and fat chance of that, since the corner bar is one of the town's popular hangouts -- the cook might even blacken 'em on request.